Sports

Oregon State's longtime football coach Mike Riley has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Nebraska.

Riley is taking over for Coach Bo Pelini, who was fired over the weekend. Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst announced Riley's hiring today. Steve Tannen is host of the daily sports radio show "Crunch Time" on 95.3 The Score in Eugene. He says Riley’s departure could affect recruiting.

The University of Oregon Ducks continued their winning streak against in-state rival Oregon State in the 118th Civil War game yesterday (Saturday). The Ducks routed the Beavers 47 to 19 in Corvallis.

The Ducks went into Reeser Stadium focused on finishing the regular season with a victory against their arch-rivals. The Beavers needed a win just to be bowl eligible. Quarterback Marcus Mariota put on a show throwing for 367 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 39 yards and two more scores. The Heisman candidate praised his teammates for the season they've shared.

Today (Tuesday), Doha Qatar was chosen over Eugene and Barcelona to host the 2019 World Track and Field Championships.

It took two rounds of voting for the 27 member IAAF council to reach a decision. After Barcelona was eliminated, Doha received 15 votes and Eugene, 12. Vin Lananna, President of Track Town USA, spoke from Monaco, where the announcement was made:

Lananna: “We appreciate all of the collaboration, the excitement, the encouragement, and having the guts to step forward and take it on the world stage.”

The Oregon State Beavers upset number 6th ranked Arizona State 35 to 27 Saturday night in Corvallis. Quarterback Sean Mannion's 66-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter gave the Beavers the lead. With 1:38 left, Michael Doctor's 35-yard interception return for a score sealed win. The Beavers snapped a four-game losing streak, while the Sun Devils snapped a five-game winning streak. The loss to the slumping Beavers hurt A-S-U's shot at a second straight berth in the Pac-12 championship game.

The University of Oregon Ducks Overcame their 2 season hump against Stanford, Saturday. The fifth-ranked Ducks routed The Cardinal 45 to 16 at Autzen Stadium. Quarterback and Heisman candidate Marcus Mariota threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores.

Oregon climbed to No. 2 in the AP rankings this season but stumbled with a home loss to Arizona in October. The Ducks have since recovered and they're gunning for the inaugural playoffs.

Eugene is in contention to host the largest sporting event in the world in 2019. International track and field evaluators visited Sunday and Monday. Next month, they'll choose the location of the 2019 World Championships.

The Evaluation Commission for the International Association of Athletics Federations has been to Barcelona, Spain. They travel to Doha, Qatar later this week. Eugene is the third contender for the competition. British politician and former Olympic middle distance athlete, Sebastian Coe, is the IAAF's Vice President:

The 9th Ranked University of Oregon Ducks routed their Northwest Rival, the Washington Huskies, 45 to 20 Saturday night. Freshman Royce Freeman ran for 169 yards and four touchdowns, the most in a single game for a Duck since Kenjon Barner, who had five against USC in 2012.

The Ducks extended their winning streak over Washington to 11 straight games and celebrated the 20th anniversary of "The Pick." The interception turned touchdown against Washington in 1994 is considered by most Duck fans to be a pivotal shift in the football program, ushering in the current era of success.

Nick Symmonds represented the USA in the men's 800-meter at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Olympics in London. The Springfield resident has a new book out about his career on and off the track.